[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

Few questions:
* When you clad the alloys, did you notice J size? Is it 5J or 5.5J ?
* Does the BT hold the history of all connected devices and auto-connect whichever is detected?
* Any idea of the BT version?
* Any idea of the speaker specs inside the door panels?
* Is the VIN embossed on the chassis or a plate riveted to the chassis?
* Is the BS-IV compliance mentioned anywhere in the RC or the smart-card?
* When using BT and Google maps, does the voice get routed through the speakers?
* Is the glove box area compromised due to passenger side airbag?

thanks once again.

Hello, please find the replies here:

• Alloys are 5.5J
• BT has some limit to max number of devices connected. But it can reconnect within no time to devices which were earlier paired. Sometimes there will be conflict between two paired devices, like for example mine and my dad's phone were paired and they would connect randomly. You can switch between devices when the car is not moving, or switch off bluetooth on one of the phones.
• No idea of BT version
• Speakers are Nippon IIRC, since I junked them sometime back
• VIN is both on the actual chassis in the engine bay as well as plate in the drivers door area. In the engine bay you will find the manufacturing date and year while on the plate you wont.
• Emission details are in my RC card
• Have always used GMaps in mute mode, so cant help you on this, but with music it is usually synced in my Iphone. The music volume reduces and Google alert is played.
• Glove box area does not interfere with the Airbag area. Hence there is no reduction in size. In the non airbag car, that space would be left hollow.

Hope this helps.

[styx71]

Hi audioholic

Nice imformative ownership thread! Immensely helpful to prospective Celerio buyers.

Is the blaupunkt stereo located kind of inset into the center fascia. Could you please post a daylight pic of the same

Thanks!

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by styx71

Is the blaupunkt stereo located kind of inset into the center fascia. Could you please post a daylight pic of the same

Here are some daylight pictures. Tried different combinations, but couldnt get hold of a wiping cloth to wipe off all the dust.

[styx71]

Thanks audioholic. Good to see how it looks post install.

Install looks neat!!

[jomson13]

Hello Everyone,

I own a 2017 Celerio ZXi(O) variant. Odo is at 30.5k now. Got it serviced yesterday and wanted to share my experience:

1. when I complained about the car juddering under load and in stop and go traffic I was advised to get the throttle body and fuel injectors cleaned. Cost was around 1500 for this. Haven't driven it much after the service but for now it drives just fine. I did ask him to check the clutch plates but there were no observations reported on this.

2. The service adviser recommended to get some oil seal in the oil sump changed. I was like - that should not be too much and asked him to go for it. The seal itself costs around 70 rupees, it needs some sealing compound which costs around 300! but the real shocker was the labor amount charged - Rs. 1400!

3. Got the engine bay cleaned and waxed - The car was at the body shop for over a month recently and they did not do a good job at storing the disassembled engine. It had all kinds of markings. mud and dust on it. So when the SA recommended the engine waxing - I went for it. Bay looks nice and shiny now. Rs. 850

4. Also got the exhaust system coated. Don't know details of the coating. Rs. 850

5. The rest was the usual - oil change, brake overhaul, AC filter change and the usual greasing. Wheel alignment is pending, I get it done from a shop nearby at one third the price that the authorized service center charges.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by jomson13

Hello Everyone,

I own a 2017 Celerio ZXi(O) variant. Odo is at 30.5k now. Got it serviced yesterday and wanted to share my experience:...

Wow; that is some sales target he has achieved from you!!!

Get yourself a better service center or at least start questioning the reasoning why such charges or works are necessary.

The works being asked for, to address the issues, and those that have been done sound very unusual for a 30k run Celerio.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Wow; that is some sales target he has achieved from you!!!
Get yourself a better service center or at least start questioning the reasoning why such charges or works are necessary.

Good advice. I feel sad that such practices are still going on in spite of them taking a beating with poor sales. They should probably rework their maintenance strategy since its understood that Maruti service is no longer cheap.

In the last three years and 34k kms, there have thankfully been no rattles as such. There is one loose washer somewhere in the AC assembly which makes a racket once in a while but apart from that, there is no other unwanted noise, which is after going through rough roads at high speeds and a few potholes. The damping has worked beautifully, which creates an eery silence in the cabin when there is no music playing.

I have sort of got bored with the car now, after having extracted the maximum out of the K10 motor. With the AMT, the shortcomings of the small engine and its poor low end are offset by the eagerness of the transmission to downshift very aggressively and hold gears till redline when pushed. After this, now I feel I need some more power, sharper brakes and a slightly stiffer suspension. Given the poor sales in the auto market, I am hunting for a good deal and will pounce on it if I get one. If not, then I will stick to the Celerio for a longer time.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I have sort of got bored with the car now, after having extracted the maximum out of the K10 motor. With the AMT, the shortcomings of the small engine and its poor low end are offset by the eagerness of the transmission to downshift very aggressively and hold gears till redline when pushed. After this, now I feel I need some more power, sharper brakes and a slightly stiffer suspension. Given the poor sales in the auto market, I am hunting for a good deal and will pounce on it if I get one. If not, then I will stick to the Celerio for a longer time.

Regarding stiffer suspension, i feel the suspension on Celerio is pretty stiff. This is on my wife's celerio which is March 2019 MFD. Maybe check the part number if there is change.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Regarding stiffer suspension, i feel the suspension on Celerio is pretty stiff. This is on my wife's celerio which is March 2019 MFD. Maybe check the part number if there is change.

Even on the new ones it is the same. The suspension is pretty good for highway, and allows some good steering inputs without losing composure. But the issue is from the rear. The rear gets bouncy at times and especially when there is partial load at the back. Somehow I am not happy with the dampers at the back. With the front, I am okayish but a little stiffer would be my choice, even if it makes the ride harsher. But the suspension setup is stiffer than both the old WagonR as well as the new one which has given me a better experience at high speeds.

Wanted to try RogerAB at the back and struts from the diesel in the front, but am not sure if this is worthy or not.

[jomson13]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Good advice. I feel sad that such practices are still going on in spite of them taking a beating with poor sales. They should probably rework their maintenance strategy since its understood that Maruti service is no longer cheap.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Wow; that is some sales target he has achieved from you!!!

Get yourself a better service center or at least start questioning the reasoning why such charges or works are necessary.

The works being asked for, to address the issues, and those that have been done sound very unusual for a 30k run Celerio.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that the only problem which I had asked them to resolve has resurfaced!!
I gave them some pretty nasty feedback on the phone and am scheduled to drop off the car on Wednesday for a follow up service.
The clutch judder is only marginally better and the engine malfunction and transaxle temp lights come up when they feel like. During service, the SA diagnosed the issue as the driver having slotted the car into gear without pressing the brake pedal! I realized there is no arguing with the man and just smiled. He was confident that the lights wont come up again and also cleared the fault codes.
This time around I will insist on seeing the codes myself.

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I have sort of got bored with the car now, after having extracted the maximum out of the K10 motor. With the AMT, the shortcomings of the small engine and its poor low end are offset by the eagerness of the transmission to downshift very aggressively and hold gears till redline when pushed. After this, now I feel I need some more power, sharper brakes and a slightly stiffer suspension. Given the poor sales in the auto market, I am hunting for a good deal and will pounce on it if I get one. If not, then I will stick to the Celerio for a longer time.

Am responding here with a couple of inputs.

Well you know what, I have been driving a Celerio for the last 4-5 months (not mine) and am absolutely enjoying the car. It is such a brilliant city ONLY car and I cant get enough of the sweet motor. You can understand my joy given the fact that i have been driving a Fiat Punto for a long time now.

I also have the Rogerab on my Punto. Fiat is already a good handler, and with this, the handling has gone to a new level. But the ride has become very very stiff. Since it is a Punto with a good suspension, it can be managed. But with the kind of suspension Maruti cars have, am not sure its a great idea to have Rogerab. You might start feeling every nook and corner of the road !

[styx71]

Originally Posted by audioholic

With the AMT, the shortcomings of the small engine and its poor low end are offset by the eagerness of the transmission to downshift very aggressively and hold gears till redline when pushed. After this, now I feel I need some more power, sharper brakes and a slightly stiffer suspension. Given the poor sales in the auto market, I am hunting for a good deal and will pounce on it if I get one. If not, then I will stick to the Celerio for a longer time.

Hi audohlic,

Curious to know - is there any option that you are currently considering as an alternate to replace the Celerio. Right now, i am sitting on the fence to buy an AMT in the price range of 6 to 7 lakhs. After going through all the Team-BHP reviews and your detailed ownership review, i had zeroed in on Celerio. Its going to be mainly for City use and based on my understanding so far, power and brakes seem to be adequate for City usage. It's the bouncy rear suspension that is a bit worrying; perhaps a meatier tyre upgrade can reduce it to an extent?

Thanks!

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by styx71

It's the bouncy rear suspension that is a bit worrying; perhaps a meatier tyre upgrade can reduce it to an extent?!

Wait, the rear suspension isn't as bouncy that you should worry about. It's far better than a Hyundai i10 or Eon. And in normal use, it's pretty competent. Its only a worry when you push the car really hard. Else, it's just fine. Take a test drive. Even the front suspension is pretty good even at high speeds. Only when you push the car hard around corners, brake hard that is when you will feel some sort of excessive dive. That can also be attributed to the fat tyres. I am waiting for the tyres to wear out after which I will consider a lower profile tyre to see if things get better. The car is at 34k kms now, and I believe the tyres would have reached their TWI in another 5k kms. Given my usage these days has dropped drastically, this is taking longer than expected.
Regarding an upgrade, the only car I can think of now is the Polo GT TSI. It seems to solve my itch for better power, a stiffer chassis and provides me the most possible upgrade options in the aftermarket. I am waiting for sometime to see how VW transforms in the coming months with BS6 and their new strategy for India. Nevertheless I have dropped my contact details at the VW dealership for them to let me know if there is something interesting on offer for the GT. Currently there are none. So I shall wait

Originally Posted by NFS2024

But with the kind of suspension Maruti cars have, am not sure its a great idea to have Rogerab. You might start feeling every nook and corner of the road !

Thanks for the feedback. I am only thinking of rogerab for the rear springs. If that makes the rear suspension stiff, it's ok with me since 90% of the time, my car is solo driven. Hence, it would be OK I guess.

[audioholic]

Some long pending updates on the changes done over the last few weeks. Now thanks to the lockdown I have time to sit and share some pictures:
1. The CF wrap on the pillar was giving away - I must attribute to crappy vinyl which is too thin. Over the years I have now understand what makes good vinyl and what is bad. Hence, I toyed about the idea of going with some OE stuff. The B pillars in the SX4 have been like it was on day one. Hence, I initially thought of getting the same part from MGP and using it on the Celerio with some modification which is no big deal. The next thought was that the CelerioX has blackened B pillars which will be a straight fit on my car. This part was available in Boodmo but the delivery time was not known. Yet I placed an order and forgot about it due to my travel. Apparently it was a back order and they sent it to me after a few weeks, but nicely packed and supplied by 3M.

The old sticker:


Each sticker was in individual boxes:




Installed:


The tapes sent were properly cut to shape and only needed to be installed in the right places. There are different cutouts for each door and as long as this is followed, no extra cutting is needed. Thanks to Maruti and Boodmo for this, since I did not expect a part like this to be available on demand especially when they sourced it on back order.

[audioholic]

Head unit transplant - Blaupunkt New York 750:
The Celerio got a new head unit - Yes you read it right for the second time. I had earlier mentioned about the Blaupunkt Monte carlo which I installed in the Celerio. After a year of use of this head unit, both me and my dad missed CarPlay in the SX4 a lot. The Monte carlo was not the best in terms of features and sound quality but in terms of Apple carplay performance, it was flawless. I needed a similar setup in the SX4. I thought of getting an Android Head unit, but that would not offer Carplay and the features of an Android head unit were of no use to either of us. All I wanted was a head unit that could offer Carplay.

One of the drawbacks of the Monte carlo was a basic audio chip that had a stupid three band equalizer and no adjustment of volumes of different sources. IIRC one of a BHPian I know got a different version of the Monte Carlo which had a better EQ but with one USB port less. While I looked for other options, they were limited or not in the same price band. One option from Sony seemed to be of better quality, both as product and sound but the fasica was not to my taste. The Monte carlo looks as close to an OE unit as possible with its simple fascia and no fancy lights or buttons. At the same time there was an offer by Blaupunkt on its newer head unit, the New York 750. If I went through the website, I could not make out key differences between the Monte carlo and the New York head units. Everything looked the same. But the retail price was 22k. They had an exchange offer for any head unit and for this there was a discount of 5k rupees along with a free reverse camera thrown in - This deal sounded good.
Since the Celerio was more frequently used and I had worked on damping and adding the sub, I preferred to use the New York in it, while the SX4 with its good for nothing Nippon speakers would do more than good with the Monte Carlo. Hence I formulated the idea of moving the latter to the SX4 while the Celerio got the marginally better head unit. The offer was almost ending hence, I decided to purchase the New york from a dealer and get it installed in place of the Monte Carlo while I would move it to the SX4 myself later since that required wiring preparation.
I called up their head office who then arranged a callback through a local distributor. I spoke to him and he informed me that the only difference between the Monte Carlo was that this had a better audio processor and nothing else. For the effective price difference of 1k over what I paid for the Monte Carlo, this was completely fine. However, the catch was that I have to pay extra for the wiring harness that would convert the Suzuki connector to ISO. And he was not willing to admit that there was no steering wheel control interface that was needed. Later he informed me that the New York offers wireless Carplay, which excited me further. I headed to the dealer the very morning I had to board my flight to Germany. There I heard the other side - No wireless car play. The distributor on phone said there were two versions and he would send the one with Wireless carplay to the dealer in an hours time. I headed back home and later they call to tell me that the exchange offer is not applicable on the version with wireless ACP. To hell with all this confusion, I just broke the deal and left to Germany.

During my stay in Germany, I saw the advertisement that the exchange offer is extended. My previous experience dealing directly with the Blaupunkt staff at their head office was pretty good. I decided to compromise with the lack of the wireless ACP and ordered the New York online directly during my return journey. After this, things went better than I expected. A nice person from the Marketing department contacted me after the order was made:

• She enquired about my car and informed that they would be sending the wiring harness complimentary - Which was the opposite of what the distributor told
• The old head unit would be picked up at my convenience, and I could do it at a later stage
• The shipping was done the same day and product delivered next day. They did not have the harness ready and shipped that the following day
• The camera supplied was the bumper camera for which I had to drill the bumper and I was not ok with it. Hence, when I called the lady again, she immediately agreed to ship me another camera which would sit in the numberplate garnish while I could return the previous camera along with the OE head unit.
• Pickup was arranged after a few days of installation

Overall, I felt the interaction and service was excellent and beyond my expectations, especially with the camera which was more expensive than the bumper camera.

Installation:
Installation on the Celerio was a cakewalk since it is a coupler to coupler connection and the only extra connection was the external mic. The Monte carlo had an internal mic which I was using. But the New York didnt and hence, I had to route the external mic. I didnt like the mic sticking out in random places, hence accomodated it in the place of the OE mic of the car. The OE mic was shifted from drivers side to passengers side while the driver side housing could hold the new mic:




This thing works fine, and doesnt show itself in the cabin.

The head unit installation was complete and here are some pictures:








Sound quality difference:
The output of the New York 750 is richer, and with greater control over the EQ, I can tune the sound to my liking. Radio reception is also better. Apart from that, there isnt much of an improvement as such. This was definitely expected, since at this price point, these two head units offer more than they are worth. Definitely better than cheap stock systems unless your car has branded stuff coming from the factory. In the SX4 it has definitely improved over the existing Nippon head unit. But since the Celerio came with a better unit from Panasonic as OE, the improvement can only be experienced from sensitive ears.


For the SX4 I had to wire the external mic as well as the rear view camera hence that was a bigger task in itself since routing the camera wire from the front all the way to the boot and the bootlid took some time. The camera wire was brittle which I was not happy to use directly. I wrapped the wire with felt lining so that it would not get bruised and cut in areas where it was prone to metal rubbing and movement. Here are pictures after the install:




Rear camera on the SX4 - The Blaupunkt camera offers a good field of view, especially since it shows the position w.r.t. the rear bumper. But the clarity is not so good compared to the generic Chinese camera in the Celerio. But the Celerio camera has a narrow field of view, which will only suit a hatchback since the view from the mirrors is sufficient.

Camera on the SX4:


Camera on Celerio:



Overall, Blaupunkt is leading the VFM offering with these products. But do note that the Blaupunkts of before were in a far better state since it was a German brand. But as of today, it is more of a Chinese package slapped with the brandname and the only icing on the cake being very good sales and after sales support. It is similar to MG Calling themselves British, how Blaupunkt says its German technology.